Wushan Ding Mud Volcano Natural Reserve Introduction
There are a total of 27 mud volcanoes in the world, and the Shenshui Farm located in Shenshui Village, Yanchao District, is the place in Taiwan with the most developed mud volcano formations, covering an area of 3.88 hectares. To protect this unique landscape, the Council of Agriculture officially designated this area as the "Wusanta Mud Volcano Natural Preserve" in 1992. The formation of the mud volcanoes is due to the movement and rupture of the Chihshan Fault beneath the earth's crust, allowing moisture to seep into the ground and mix with mudstone to form slurry. This high-pressure gas then pushes the slurry up through fissures to the surface, creating mud volcanoes. The area hosts three conical mud volcanoes, with the tallest reaching 3.5 meters and a slope of about 50 degrees, making it a typical mud cone. Eruptions occur every few seconds, with thick slurry flowing down the conical surface, forming tongue-like mudflows that stretch out to a diameter of 70 meters, often accompanied by spurts of mud and gas that can be ignited or can spontaneously combust. For educational and academic purposes, those interested in visiting the natural preserve must fill out an application form in advance, allowing them to observe the precious badland topography, mud volcanoes, and natural ecology.
